The 1805 Dispatches #26.04 August 2026 4 of 8 PROPOSED MEMORIAL LISTING THE PERSONNEL OF THE BRITISH FLEET WHO DIED AT THE BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR. The 1805 Club has offered support to an ambitious proposal to erect a memorial listing the officers and men of the British fleet who died at the Battle of Trafalgar. The plan for a permanent memorial in Portsmouth was suggested by retired journalist and local historian Mark Acheson in an address to the senior rates and warrant officer's mess in HMS Victory. There was a warm response from mess members, who spoke of their hopes that the plan would reach fruition. As a result an ad hoc working party comprising Mark and mess members Martyn Webb and Wilf Pickles has started work on seeking to turn the dream into a reality. A local stonemason has volunteered his services and Portsmouth City Council is considering draft proposals for the monument itself. The working plan envisages an angled slab of black polished granite, around 1.2 metres high and 2.6 metres wide, etched with the gold-engraved names of the 458 officers and men of the Royal Navy and the Royal Marines who died during or after the battle. The names would be listed ship by ship. The name, rank and, where known, age and place of origin of each man were kindly supplied to the organisers by The 1805 Club’s webmaster Josephine Birtwhistle, who has had initial discussions with the working party. Former Portsmouth North MP Dame Penny Mordaunt, an honorary captain in the Royal Naval Reserve and onetime Secretary of State for Defence and Leader of the House of Commons, has also pledged whatever support she can give. At present the preferred site for the memorial – subject to city council consent – is adjacent to the statue of Horatio Nelson, which stands looking out to sea between the Hot Walls and Governor's Green in Old Portsmouth. Alternative settings yet to be considered in detail include the Victory Anchor monument at the western end of Southsea seafront in Portsmouth and the area of the Historic Dockyard around HMS Victory itself. It is hoped that sufficient progress will be made in order to be able to announce the proposal publicly on or around Trafalgar Day on October 21st this year, in which Portsmouth is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its elevation to city status. Mark Acheson said: ‘For my talk to the mess, I researched the lives and deaths of some of the 57 crew members of HMS Victory who died during or after the Battle of Trafalgar. 'The more I discovered about them, the more I began to consider that a special case for retrospective remembrance could be made for them in Portsmouth, the home of Royal Navy. 'Here, and universally, there can be no doubt that the majority of people regard Trafalgar as Britain’s greatest sea victory and Nelson as our greatest naval hero. ‘Many bridges have yet to be crossed, including funding, but I and my colleagues are hugely encouraged by the support instantly shown from The 1805 Club and elsewhere. ‘I hope that the plan will be welcomed by members of The 1805 Club, and would be delighted to hear the views and comments of as many as possible.’ Mark’s email address is mark_acheson@yahoo.co.uk NB An expanded article, and more news, will appear in the autumn edition of The Kedge Anchor. SHIP’S WORD WHEEL Take a ten-minute break and find as many words as possible, using the letters in the wheel. Each must use the hub letter and at least 3 others, used only once. No plurals (if only made by adding an ‘s’ or ‘es’), no foreign words not in common usage in English, nor proper nouns. There is at least one nine-letter word to be found. 15 = Average; 20 = Good; 30 = V Good; 50+ = Amazing! Answers on last page
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